To me, Jordan Hill is better than Amir, and they are similar in what they contribute to a team. Hill is also cheaper, and he has been in the NBA for three years (Amir seven, yet they are the same age).

So, really, it would be like us landing an extra Jordan Hill, and swapping Gasol's high IQ and passing with Bargnani's willingness to score the ball and ability to spread the floor better than Pau...and I'm not really sure if I'd want that.

I really wish we could land Derrick Favors. There's SO much potential there, and he needs to be elsewhere. If we're going to look at defensive PF's that can learn a lot from someone like Kobe (back on offense, Kobe can work with him in the post), Favors is the man. He could be an all-star someday, if he is paired with someone that can teach him how to score better, because his defense is flying under the radar right now.

Ron is a horrific offensive player, if you take into account everything an offensive player is supposed to do (shoot, drive, dribble, pass, move). Really, Artest is a decent off-ball player, but a lot of credit goes to his teammates, for getting him wide open (and the opposing team, knowing who to leave open).

Gasol has never attempted 15+ shots a game in his career. That, alone, indicates that he's not a scorer...even as a primary option back in Memphis. He can still pass...there's no doubt about that. Other than passing, and a mid-range jumper at the elbow...he's pretty insignificant on offense.

Ron's defense makes up for his terrible offensive game, though...while Gasol is really only good at contesting shots. Otherwise, he's getting there late, not rotating correctly, or having trouble defending physical players down low.

Ron isn't the defensive specialist he used to be...couldn't really stay with Parker tonight, and a few physical SF's can light him up...but he's still a pest with very quick hands.

------------

Back to Gasol...if we get a decent deal, we should consider it. A big NO to Bargnani and Calderon, though. You'd basically bring in two players who are a DISASTER on the defensive end, and if you hate how soft Gasol is, wait until you see his younger clone in Bargnani, who thinks he's Dirk Nowitzki.

Calderon may be the worst defensive PG in the NBA...that includes bench PG's.

A Gasol/Smith trade is enticing, because it gives Howard just another reason to stick around (Smith and Howard are great friends), and furthermore, it gives Nash another teammate that will run the break with him. Plus, Josh Smith is a very good defensive player that can defend three positions on the floor, possibly four (depending on the PG).

I doubt all of this is about Gasol's mistake tonight, though. This thread was created long before tonight's game, and we know he has been contributing less and less as we go along.

What do you think about pau for gallinari and Wilson chandler

Denver needs a big, it'd allow them to trade McGee if possible and have a real solid contender

Gasol/ mosgovFariedBrewer/ Hamilton IguodalaLawson/ miller

And for the lakers is makes them faster, more versatile and deeper

Dwight/ hill Artest/ JamisonGallinari/ chandlerKobe/ MeeksNash/ Blake

That's 3 ball handlers in the starting 5, artest can camp the 3, and Howard has spacing like crazy

I'd take Bargnani over Gallo (well, I wouldn't take either one, but if I had to choose...). At least Bargs is more efficient, and he's a better shooter.

Chandler seems to be a throw-in at this point. He hasn't played good in a while, and I'm worried about that hip. Doesn't seem like he's moving all that well sometimes, and a hip surgery is a huge hurdle to jump for a lot of athletes.

I'm a big supporter of Pau but I really feel his time in LA is coming to an end. To me he looks weaker on the defensive end than in previous seasons and his offensive efficiency is going way down since he's away from the basket.

It's really too bad that we could not get Beasley in the off-season. He would be a great fit for this team now that D'Antoni will be coming in.

Gasol needs to be closer to the basket to be effective. With how the new offense will be run, he's not going to be further away from the basket unless he comes off the bench.

That's all true, yet his defense, athleticism, and efficiency are all better than Bargnani's. Hell, Bargs has shot over 45% just ONCE in his career (47%), and he's seven feet tall. He's also not that great of a shooter...under 37% 3PT for his career, attempting just under four a night on average...that's not worthy of a mention...so what does Bargnani really do for us?

Atlanta would probably try and give us Korver instead...worth a million more, 4-5 years older, less defensively-talented. I'd be okay with Korver, also, because he would rain threes on everyone, but Morrow can shoot just as well every other night.

I wonder if the Lakers would prefer Korver. With Meeks coming off the bench, and both Korver and Jamison, you can basically stick those three out there with Dwight and Blake, and play a TRUE "four out, one in" and watch the old Orlando Magic all over again.

this was actually my original trade suggestion. i live in chicago and saw first hand the sniper kover is. when he's on, he can go 6/7 from three every other night. just automatic. and he may not be a great one on one defender, but he IS a great team defender. and smith alongside artest, dwight, and kobe, scary what we would do defensively. and he's no scrub on offense. i expect kobe and nash to get smith better shots than he gets in atlanta and help out his IQ etc. plus he's just entering his prime fresh off his best statistical season of his career. i say if we can get these 2 in a trade, we should pull the trigger. like i said, im a fan of gasol, but not a blind one. he is not the same gasol, and if he's not doing anything on either end of the floor; we just can't afford to keep two liabilities on the floor(gasol/artest) and at least artest give his all every night.

Disagree about Bargs. He's a good shooter. He plays better out (outside of the high post). That would pull a help big away from the paint allowing Dwight much more room to work down low in the paint. He's faster than Pau off the bounce and is MUCH more aggressive looking for his shot. Pick & Pop with Barg is more efficient and effctive than with Pau (who, despite what he thinks is not a good 3pt shooter). Spacing and outside shooting is important to D'Antoni's system. Bargnani playing OUT of the post like LO (whose 3pt% was much lower than 37%) for PAU opens up the middle for cutters and slasher (where Bargs is a good passer also) and let's KOBE assume a position in the post.

And we can ALL agree that at this point, Barg would be better outside shooting than Kobe.

He's not a shotblocker but he's got better lateral speed than Pau, he's as long as Pau and is a decent man defender. He's not going to be a great rebounder because he takes so many outside shots...but even when he is in the paint, he's not going to wow you in that department.

Bargnani may not be the best talent available but he would fit the offense and the style of play we want. Add in Bargs is $10million cheaper than Pau and Calderon is an expiring contract, the Lakers would potentially save 4-5mil after this season...and Bargs at 10M is likely MUCH more productive than Pau at 20M...this year or next year.

Calderon's defense is no worse than Nash's. His passing is better than Blake or Duhon and he's got more experience than Morris. If we could move either or both Blake/Duhon for Calderon, we'd be upgrading offensively and it's a wash defensively. And worst case for Calderon? Trade him at the deadline for something that could really help to a team wanting to get further under the cap this summer. Also, if we don't trade him and Morris develops well, we let that 10M drop off the salary, still saving 10M on Barg over Pau...

I think your assessment of their defense doesn't account for the players they would be replacing. It would not be as big of a blow to our defense as some believe (if at all).

Pau is a good defender on the low block. Problem is, how many players in the NBA actually have a legit back-to-the-basket game? Most teams don't attack the Lakers by throwing it into the post with Pau and D12 waiting for them, that would be stupid.

The series against the Hornets a couple years ago put a spotlight on how you can attack the Lakers, and every team in the league saw it; pick and roll with Pau's man. It doesn't matter who the screener is. The screener doesn't even have to be a threat offensively. It's all about getting Pau to switch onto the point guard, that's the screeners only job. Pau has to come out and hedge, and he's too slow to be able to rotate. That makes the switch inevitable. Once that happens it's over.

Opposing teams have always killed the Lakers because we've always had slow point guards. It doesn't matter who we pick up, we aren't going to be able to match up with CP3 or Westbrook or Parker. But if we had a more mobile power forward, we could at least limit the damage.

Offensively, if he actually played in the paint then I would argue "that's where he comes in handy, we can kill Miami with Dwight and Pau in the paint". The problem there is I see Pau in the paint less and less. He opts for jumpers from the elbow and turnarounds.

So it depends on the philosophy I guess. With this roster I think we'd be better served by having someone a little undersized but more active for defensive purposes, or someone who can stretch the floor better for offensive purposes. Either a Bargnani/Ryan Anderson type, or a Faried/Millsap type.